Many kinds of specialized carriers have been developed for use with bicycles and motorcycles. Typically, such carriers are mounted above the rear wheel behind the rider. Some are arranged to carry packages and merchandise, and others to carry an infant or small child. An example of the first type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,703 to Litz. That patent describes a luggage box having tongued rails on its underside that are arranged to interlock with grooves in a plate mounted to the frame of a motorcycle just back of the rider's seat. The rails have a locking means to secure the luggage box to the motorcycle frame plate, and to allow its convenient removal from the cycle.
An example of the second type of carrier is shown in a patent to Schimmels, U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,331. That patent describes a carrier assembly for transporting a child on a bicycle. It is arranged to detachably lock onto a bracket fixed above the rear wheel of a bicycle, or to be secured to a vehicle seat to provide protection during auto transport.
There has also been a suggestion in the art to provide means for transporting a pet on a bicycle. Such carrier devices are shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. D276,713, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,577,646, 5,810,227, and 5,832,874. Each of these designs suffers from certain drawbacks.
Despite the wide variety of specialized carriers that have been developed over the years, there remains a need for a safe carrier to transport small to medium sized pets which allows the pet more freedom to observe the scenery and which is more easily mounted on and dismounted from a vehicle.